Until My Heart Stops Beating (19 page)

              Livid was an understatement. He gave that company a lot of blood, sweat and tears, leaving his wife alone many nights because he was working late trying to meet deadlines.  The worst part about all of it was that he considered Danny a true friend. His financial situation was no secret to Danny which is why his actions were so heartbreaking. That situation was his first lesson in trust and loyalty. From that moment on according to Terrence Jones, white people couldn’t be trusted. You were only good enough to be around if there was a need for you, and they’d take what you have to offer and pass it on, as their own without a bit of shame.

              “But Declan is not like that dad.”

              He glanced at her nodding his head.

              “I'm sorry baby girl. I love you but I just cannot sit here and be okay with this situation as your life.”

              Makeba solemnly looked at her dad, “I am sorry that you feel that way dad but I love him and Declan loves me. With or without your blessing we will marry,” she stated as a matter of fact. She strutted toward the door, looked back over her shoulders at her father once more before exiting, then left, refusing to shed anymore tears over the situation.

MAE WEST

             
Everything was in its place. Furniture had been ordered weeks ago, was delivered and placed exactly where she wanted it. The only task left to tackle was shopping, which she planned to do later in evening after work. That worked in her best interest anyway. Shopping that time of night ensured that she’ll be in and out without the aggravation of long lines and crowded lanes. Shoprite was practically empty that time of night.

              Exhausted, she printed the ‘end of the night’ reading from the cash register, removed her till, along with a shopping bag and walked to Rasheeda’s office to be tallied out. Rasheeda emptied the contents from the till and began counting the money.

              Pulling the goodies out of the bag, Makeba held them up until she was able to get her friend’s attention.

Glancing at what Makeba was holding in her hand, she froze. “What the hell?”

              Makeba laughed at Rasheeda’s reaction. “This is what he’ll be greeted with when he arrives tomorrow.”

              Rasheeda took the dress and the wig from her hands and held it up to get a better look. “Oh, you’re playing dirty.”

      “I have to. I’ve got to give him a reason to fly home more often.”

      “You’re going to mess around and make the damn man retire if you keep this kind of stuff up.”

      They laughed.

      “You are so silly.”

              “I’m just saying, this role play stuff can make a man lose his damn mind. Let me know if you have his behind screaming your name like a little girl,” she guffawed.

              “I don’t know if that’ll happen but I’m going to damn sure try to make it happen.”

              They jumped up giving each other a high five.

              Returning to her seat
she said, “C’mon Rasheeda I have to go.”

              Rasheeda frowned, rolling her eyes. “Girl, don’t rush me. You’re the one who
interrupted my count when
you pulled
your little trinkets out the bag,” she giggled.

              “Just hurry up,” Makeba smirked.

              “Just for that, I’m going to take my sweet time. Shoprite will be closed by the time you get your butt out of here.”

              “Ok, I’m sorry. Can you please hurry up so I can go shopping?”

             
“Now that’s more like it.” Rasheeda smirked while rolling her eyes.

              Ten minutes later, Makeba bid her friend farewell and clocked out on her way to Shoprite in Hillside.

       Just as he had expected, the supermarket was nearly empty. By the time she got to the register, she was pulling two carts but she didn’t care. The cabinets were bare and they need to be filled to capacity. She made sure she got the items she liked as well as Declan. She checked out and left.

              Dragging all of those grocery bags upstairs was a task in itself but she was handling it. It took about fifteen minutes to get all that food upstairs. Immediately after taking in the last bag, she began putting the food away. Suddenly it hit her, she hadn’t made arrangements to have Declan picked up from the airport. She couldn’t do it because she had to prepare herself for his surprise. Grabbing her purse, she retrieved a business card of the car service. She called scheduling a pickup for tomorrow afternoon. Excited about his arrival, she knew it would be a long restless night.

~*~

              Declan scanned the arrival level for Makeba’s car. He didn’t see it. Walking a few doors down, he noticed a driver holding up a sign that read, “Whitaker.”

              He approached the driver. “I’m Whitaker.”

              “Good afternoon Mr. Whitaker. My name is Louis. I’ll be driving you to your location.” He took Declan’s bags.

      Declan was hesitant but he followed the driver to his car all the while wondering what could have Makeba so busy that she couldn’t pick him up. She was off today and he was looking forward to seeing her face. He called her cell phone after he got in the car but there was no answer. He laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was get to the house, take a shower and hold her in his arms all night long. He missed her terribly and couldn’t wait to see her.

              Twenty minutes later the driver pulled up in front of a building bringing the car to a halt. Declan looked out the window studying the brick structure before exiting. He admired the craftsmanship. There were designs in the stones that were simply amazing. He continued to admire the outside of his new home while the driver got out, retrieved his suitcase and ran around to the passenger side pulling his door open. One foot at a time he stepped out of the car. The driver accepted his fare plus tip, closed the door behind Declan, handed him his luggage, then jumped back into the car and pulled off.

              Declan grabbed his bags and approached the building. He searched the names assigned to the buttons on the intercom. Elated to have finally located their bell, he pressed on it lightly. Hearing a sound that was like music to his ears brought a smile to his face.               “Pull the door.”

              He did as he was told. Pulling the glass door, he entered hurrying to the elevator. When he reached his floor he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Gently pushing the door open a little further, he stepped inside dropping his bags by the door. Scented pillar candles illuminated the room as soulful jazz blared from the speakers

              “I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival big boy. Finally we can get this thing started.”

             
He heard the voice, a damn good Mae West impersonation it was. Looking around, he could see the silhouette of a women standing behind a sheer curtain. One hand was on her hips while the other gripped a cigarette holder. The allure of the sophisticated woman hidden behind the transparent covering that separated them, caused his heart to palpitate and his mouth to water. His body began to overheat as he followed her every move. Slowly she sashayed from one side of the sheet to the other. Leaning back against the wall, she raised her right foot, bending it at the knee as the flat of her foot pressed into it. She took a pull from her roaring 20’s style cigarette holder

      “I’ve been missing you like crazy. Every time I closed my eyes I envisioned your soft warms hands massaging my thighs rising higher and higher until they reach my jewel box. I shiver even now at the thought of you touching my insides. Nobody can make me feel as you do fella.”

              Unable to stand any longer Declan took a seat on the sofa. Not knowing how to handle what he was feeling, he took a deep breath in an attempt to bring his body temperature down to normal levels. His efforts were in vain. Just when he thought he had taken all he could take, she came from behind the curtain. With eyes as big as golf balls and his mouth agape, he stood but she pushed him back down.

              “Patience honey,” still in character. “I’ve waited for you this long, a little longer won’t hurt none.”

              She shimmied closer allowing him the pleasure of examining her body from head to toe. She was stunning in her short wavy blond wig with a black sequined band around her head. The sparkly cigarette holder added another level of sophistication. The dress was black sequined with a split up the thigh. It was cut low, held up with spaghetti straps. The back was left exposed. She moved away the moment he reached out to touch her.

              He rose from his seat.

              “Don’t move fella. Let me just look at you from afar.” She turned around. “You know, I seem to always fall under your spell when I look into those dark bedroom eyes of yours.”

              Declan was about to lose his mind. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t playing fair at all. He was like a crack addict staring at a bag in someone else’s hand as he was experiencing withdrawals. At any moment, he was going to be all over her like whipped cream on a mocha latte. This Mae West thing was a dirty trick. She upped the game on him. This was torture and the smile on her face confirmed that she knew just how much she was getting to him.

              There was a strong desire to rush her and rip off every stitch of clothing that would prevent him from having all of her but he couldn’t. He had to play his role. This was her show, her game, and no matter how difficult it got for him to control himself, he had to in spite of the raging fire engulfing his insides.

              Flicking her cigarette on the floor, she stepped on it putting out the fire. With her hands on her hips she strutted towards him seductively as she licked her lips. Once
again he got up from the sofa and tried to kiss her but
she slapped him lightly and pushed him back down. Raising her
left foot, pressing it against his
chest, she
added force making sure he sat all the
way back.
She had definitely raised the bar to new heights with this one, he thought.

              “I’m going to give you a show you're never going to forget handsome.”

              Because it was fairly dark and he was so focused on her Mae West impersonation, he never noticed the stripper pole until she began prancing towards it.

              “Holy shit.”

              His eyes grew wider as his manhood hardened, threatening to burst through his zipper. He glanced at her. “I don’t know how much longer I can continue to be a good boy Mae. I’m growing impatient. I need to touch you.” Now he was totally engaged in the role play.

              She turned quickly. “Patience honey. It will be worth the wait. I promise. Now
sit back and enjoy the show.”

             
She switched the music in the cd player to something she could dance to. Moments later she appeared in front of him removing her white glove one at a time throwing them in his face as she swayed her hips to the music. Removing her dress, exposing her white lace thong, free flowing breasts decorated with pasty stars, and the garter that held up her stockings, she wrapped her hand around the pole pulling herself up like a spider monkey climbing a tree. Effortlessly she flipped upside down opening her legs as wide as she could never allowing her hands leave the pole. She did some tricks that if he hadn’t seen himself, he would have thought was not humanly possible. At the end of her performance she crawled on her hands and knees like a lioness on the prowl. Reaching her destination she removed his tie tossing it to the side. His shirt was ripped open as buttons popped off rolling on the floor to God knows where. He removed his belt and unzipped his pants. He stood as the pants dropped to the floor giving her a sight that let her know just how much she was missed. Slowly, she kissed the tip of his penis sending a spark through him that was sure to enflame, if it didn’t extinguish soon. Removing her garter and then her thong, Makeba pushed him down placing one leg on each side of him gradually lowering herself down on his stiff erect penis.
His eyes rolled to the back of his head as she
rode him like John Wayne riding off into the sunset. He burst, releasing his juices deep inside her hoping one day he’d plant a seed.

      “Welcome home babe.”

      “And what a welcome it is,” he replied as he kissed her. “Thank you honey.”

      She smiled. “Thank you.” She rushed off to take a shower.

      Declan remained seated trying to catch his breath. That woman always had a surprise up her sleeve but that time she didn’t play fair, teasing him to the point where he thought he would cum all over himself without even being touched, but that was ok. He had a few tricks up his sleeve as well. Tomorrow was another day, a day he would show her who was the best at role playing.

COMING HOME

              The ringing of a cell phone woke her from a peaceful sleep. By the ringtone, Makeba knew it was her brother calling. Reaching over Declan who was still snoring and sound asleep, she retrieved her cell phone from the night stand.

              Whispering, she said, “Hello.”

              “Hey little sister. How are you?”

              “I’m good Mark. How are things with you?”

              “Great. I called to find out what has gotten into your father.”

              She glanced over at Declan, not wanting to wake him, she eased out of bed tiptoeing over near the window. “He’s fine. Why would you think something was wrong with him?”

              “Sis, out of nowhere I get this call. At first I wasn’t going to answer but I thought better of it. I said hello and was about to blow a gasket when I heard his voice.”

              She laughed. “What did he say?”

              “Basically, he apologized for being a prick.”

              “Mark.”

              “Well, he was Makeba. Imagine my surprise when he told me he was proud of the man I have become. To top it off, he invited us to Thanksgiving dinner.”

              “Oh that is wonderful.”

              “Yes it is. So my sister, I guess there’s a change in our plans. You won’t have to come here because I’m coming home.”

      Makeba screamed waking Declan from his sleep.  For so long she had prayed that this moment would come. Her mom constantly talked about how sad she was that Mark stayed away so long but she understood why. It’s been years since they’ve all been under the same roof. Excitement could be heard from both ends of the line.

              “I can’t wait to see you.”

              “Neither can I little sister, neither can I.”

             
Elation laced his words. She could hear it.

              “Love you my brother.”

              “I love you too my sister.”

              Those were the last words exchanged before ending the call.               Filled with excitement, she knew it would be difficult to go back to sleep, so there was no use in trying. Ushering over to Declan, she kissed him on the lips.

              “Is everything ok?”

              “Everything is better than ok honey. My brother and father reconciled. He’s coming home for the holidays. Finally, I get to meet my niece.”

              “That’s great sweetie.”

              “I know. Stay in bed. I’m going to fix you the best breakfast ever.”

              He chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

              Smiling, she hurried off to the kitchen to cook a breakfast of champions for her man.

~*~

              Declan laid in bed inhaling the fantastic aroma emitting through the air as he thought about payback for what she did to him. He recalled seeing a shop not far from where they were where he could buy scrubs and a doctor’s coat. He smiled thinking about all the things he could do to her dressed up in medical attire. The thought made him want to hurry out of bed and rush downtown right away but he couldn’t. She was making breakfast but as soon as he finished eating he was out. She started something she wasn’t ready for. By the time he finished with
her, she would crown him the master of role play. That, he was sure of.

              After breakfast Makeba decided to visit her parents for a while. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Declan showered,  dressed and scurried out the door. All he could think of was the surprise he had in store for her later on that evening.

              It was colder outside than he had expected. Raising the collar on his trench
coat, he shivered as he kept on walking, thinking to himself maybe he could have hopped on a bus or caught a cab. Well, it was no use now, he was more than halfway to his destination. He retrieved his phone from his pocket when it started to ring. It was Sam checking up on him and wishing him good luck on his new place. He extended an invitation for Sam to come to Newark to visit. He accepted as long as it was okay with Makeba. Declan assured him that she would like nothing more than to have him there. After inquiring about his mom and grandmother they ended the call.

      Later that evening after dinner Makeba called it a night. Three glasses of Riesling was enough to knock her on her butt. After bidding farewell to Declan, she showered and got in bed. Patiently, he waited until the perfect time. By now he figured she should be in a deep sleep. Thank goodness she drank more than one glass of wine because it made it a lot easier to carry out his plan.

              Looking himself over in the mirror, a smile spread across his lips. If he went outside decked out in the outfit
he had on, surely he would have been mistaken for the real thing. He looked quite debonair in his blue scrubs and white swan lab coat. There were two more pieces he needed to add to his uniform. Glancing down on the bathroom sink, he picked up his cap, tied it to his head and covered his face with the mask. Dr. Whitaker was ready to see his patient now.

              Snickering, he stood over Makeba as she slept. That must have been some wine. She didn’t budge when he was tying her hands and feet to the bed. Surveying the room and realizing it needed a romantic feel to it, he quietly gathered all the pillar candles he could find, lined them around the room, then lit them. Satisfied with how things were set up, he smiled, nodding his head. It was showtime.

              Wrapping his stethoscope around his neck, he approached the bed pulling back the covers enough for him to listen to the beat of her heart. The cold metal made her jump taking in a deep breath. She opened her eyes and almost screamed until she was able to figure out it was Declan behind the mask. She tried to move but couldn’t. Glancing down at her arms and then her feet, she fell back against the bed knowing that she was in trouble. He was definitely going to make her pay for her Mae West performance.

              “Ah Ms. Jones. I’m glad you are awake. I need to listen to your heart.”

              “So what kind of doctor are you, Internal Medicine?”

              “Gynecologist?”

              She chuckled. “A what?”

              “Shhhh! Please, I’m trying to listen.” Her heart started beating a mile a minute. She knew she was in trouble. Of all the doctors he could have pretended to be, he chose a
gynecologist. There was no telling what the hell he was going to do to her. All she could do was pray that whatever it was, it wouldn’t hurt.

              After listening to her heart, he placed the cover back over her stopping below
the chin. Turning his back to her, she could see him putting on a pair of latex gloves. Fear crept up inside her. This man could not possibly be trying to take it that far, she thought. He wouldn’t dare. Approaching the bed, Declan had his glove covered hands raised.

              “Ready for your exam?”

              She wrestled a little with the restraints. “Wait a minute honey. I don’t think this is such a good idea.”

              “No baby you’re right. How can I lick the juice off my fingers if I use gloves during the exam.”

              Feeling defeated, she fell back on the bed taking deep breaths. She was nervous. This man was scaring the living crap out of her. Yes she did her thing when she played Mae West but she didn’t hurt him. It was all pleasurable. What he was getting ready to do seemed to be something totally different.

              Declan raised the covers from the bottom stopping at her waist.

              Fidgeting she yelled, “Honey, please."

      Ignoring her cries, he grabbed the flavored warming lubricant off the dresser squeezing a generous amount on the tips of his fingers. She knew there was nothing she could do but grin and bear it. This was payback. She readied herself for what was about to come. There was no need in spreading her legs. They were already apart as wide as they could go tied to footboard. He crawled onto the bed positioning himself between her legs. Closing his eyes he gently inserted two fingers inside of her. She squirmed in discomfort but not for long. The warm
sensation along with the slow movement of his fingers became sweet pleasure. She moaned as tingling sensations shot through her body. This wasn’t an examination, not like the ones she remembered getting. If they all were like this should make an appointment three times a week for pap smear. No, this was something sensational. It was killing her that she couldn’t touch him.
She was more than willing to be a participant in the game he was playing. Pleading, she asked to be released but he said no, being restrained was torture. On the edge of explosion, she cried out. Right before she was about to let loose he removed his hands.

              “Dammit Declan,” her breaths were labored.

              He laughed as he got up off the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he removed his cap and mask tossing them on the nightstand. Turning to face her he said, “Ms. Jones, I’m sorry but you’re in need of a cleansing. Because I don’t have any meds, I will need to cover your mouth to muffle your screams. She looked at him like he was insane.

     “What are you talking about?” 

              He rose from the bed. “Precisely why your mouth must be covered.”

              He walked away returning with a silk scarf. Against her will Makeba was gagged and her restraints were tightened. Shaking her head as she mumbled, he couldn’t make out her words, nor did he want to. There was a procedure that needed to be done on her and he was the only doctor available with enough experienced to carry it out.

              He glanced down at her. “Ready?”

              Shaking her head, she mumbled something else but he didn’t bother to remove the covering off her mouth because what she had to say to him wasn’t as important as the procedure he was about to perform on her.

              Gently, he crawled up on the bed between her legs. Placing his hand under her buttocks, he raised her hips to his mouth. Teasing her, he nibbled on her southern lips then licked around her clit. Squealing, she wiggled like a slithering snake across the grass. Tighter he held on as he slid his tongue into her deepness. Tears of pleasure streamed down her cheeks. For a moment and only a moment he glanced up at her demanding that she watch him devour her like a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Obliging him, she positioned her head so that she could an unobstructed visual, but how long did he expected her to focus when he was making her feel so good, so alive. She was flying without wings. Without volition, her eyelids shut. Biting on her lips caused her eyes to reopen. Again, he looked up ordering her through silent language not to take her eyes off of him. He needed her to see how much he enjoyed tasting her.

              The sight of him between her legs with his head bobbing up and down caused her back to arch, her body to tremble and her jewel box to pulsate, whimpering as she tried to break away. There was no way out of those restraints. She couldn’t take anymore. It was like riding to the top of a roller coaster and sliding down at massive speed as adrenaline rushed through her veins. She was on her third orgasmic explosion and there was no sign of him slowing down.
Finally, he came up for air ogling her as he removed the scarf from her mouth. She
attempted to speak but was interrupted the moment he covered her
mouth with his. Parting her lips with his tongue
allowed her to
taste her own essence. Not long after, he moved to her ears whispering naughty things as he nibbled on her earlobes.

              Declan removed his scrubs tossing them to the floor. He removed the pillows from her head, and placed them under her, elevating her hips. As usual she was tight, just the way he liked her. Gently, he entered her going deeper with each stroke. She moaned as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. He was truly showing her who was the master at the game. He was definitely worthy of being crowned King after this. Gyrating his hips, he increased his speed every time she released a sound. The expressions on his face alerted her that he was on the verge of explosion. He grunted in the back of his throat as he tightened his grip on her riding like he was a jockey in a race competing for first place. A few minutes later he fell back on the bed beside her totally spent. It took a while before he could get up enough strength to untie her. After she was released, together they showered, returned to the bed and slept through the night nestled in each other’s arms.

~*~

              Over the next few months Makeba and Declan’s relationship was not without its share of problems. The frequent trips to Chicago were becoming an issue. Tired of the empty bed, lonely nights, and extended trips, Makeba began to feel like she was contributing 100 percent into their relationship while only receiving 55 percent in return. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand how important his business was, on the contrary. According to the way she felt, their
relationship trumped everything else. There was nothing in the world worth putting their life together on the back burner. The situation was starting to get to her and the fact that instead of voicing her concern and telling him how much his absenteeism affected her, she chose to bury it all deep inside to keep the peace. It wasn’t a very good idea. Although her intentions were noble, it was producing the opposite effect of what she had anticipated. It was evident in their conversations when he called. For no apparent reason she’d
become miffed and uninterested in what he had to say and that wasn’t good. She loved him to the core of her being, she
should always be anxious to hear what he had to say. Her silence was hurting them and she
knew it. Something had to give. A talk was definitely needed as soon as possible
even if it had to be done over the
phone. He was due to return the Tuesday before Thanksgiving which was a week away. She refused to wait that long.